Netherlands Vs. Denmark, Euro 2012: Halftime Score, Danes Surprisingly Ahead 1-0

Update: Denmark 1-0 Netherlands, Final Score

The Netherlands have been in control for most of the first half of their opening Euro 2012 match against Denmark but haven't made the most of their chances and their flimsy defense has been exposed. Ron Vlaar and John Heitinga don't look like a central defense pairing that belongs at this level, and Holland is currently paying for their struggles.

Even though the Netherlands have had nearly two-thirds of the possession in the first half and plenty of chances to go along with it, they trail Denmark 1-0. Michael Krohn-Dehli scored the game's only goal in the 24th minute with a great finish, scoring on one of his team's only ventures forward.

The Netherlands started the match with a high press and a very fast pace, but they weren't able to turn it into a goal. They had a flurry of chances in the beginning of the match, with the best one coming in the 18th minute. Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie played a wonderful one-two exchange down the right flank, with van Persie playing Robben in on goal. The Bayern Munich man should have shot, but instead put a poor cross through the box that was deflected and claimed by Stephan Andersen. At that point, the Netherlands began to slow down a bit.

Krohn-Dehli struck six minutes later. He beat two men on the move, powering through Gregory Van Der Wiel, then breaking the ankles of Heitinga before he finished past Maarten Stekelenberg.

That goal gave Denmark a boost, and they began to play much better from that point until the halftime whistle, but the Netherlands still had plenty of opportunities to score. In the 28th minute, Simon Poulsen appeared to handle the ball in the box before he cleared it for a corner, but the referee didn't spot it.

Eight minutes later, the Netherlands were gifted their best chance of the match. Andersen almost picked up an assist for his opposition with a terrible pass from inside of his penalty area to Robben, who dribbled forward between two helpless central defenders. He unleashed a low shot with his left foot from the edge of the box, but unluckily struck the far post.

The favored Dutch are playing some very nice football, but their defense is poor and they can't hit the target. Andersen has been forced into just two saves on an incredible 16 shots. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar waits on the bench for the not-so-brilliant Oranje, and he could make an appearance sooner rather than later.

We have live coverage of this game in our Netherlands vs. Denmark, Euro 2012 StoryStream. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.